Scopogonalia osteiphera Leal & Creão-Duarte, 2016

Leal, Afonso Henrique, Creão-Duarte, Antonio José & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2016, Taxonomic review of Scopogonalia Young, 1977 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) with description of six new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 50 (23), pp. 1513-1542 : 1538-1540

Scopogonalia osteiphera Leal & Creão-Duarte sp. nov.

( Figure 11 )

Diagnosis

Sharpshooters with predominant green colour, transversal bone shaped black macula on anterior third of pronotum, fore wings with some cells and longitudinal veins dark brown to black; aedeagus with an apical and a subapical dentiform process on ventral portion and dorsoapical portion expanded as hood-like structure; paraphyses with rami strongly curved dorsally, with acute apices, embracing aedeagus.

Comment

The presence of a transversal bone shaped black macula on the pronotum is a symplesiomorphy of S. osteiphera . Although better observed in S. osteiphera , the presence of a hood-like structure on the dorsoapical portion of aedeagus is also symplesiomorphic for this species. The ventral subapical process of the aedeagus is a homoplastic autapomorphy of S. osteiphera , and the apical one is a symplesiomorphy of a large clade in which this species is included ( Leal 2014).

Type locality. 26.39477° S, 065.30345° W; 788 m; Choromoro , Tucumán, Argentina .

Length. Male holotype, 4.6 mm; female paratypes, 5.6–6.1 mm.

External morphology

Head ( Figure 11A ), in dorsal view, moderately produced anteriorly, median length of crown about 1/2 interocular width and 1/3 transocular width; anterior margin narrowly rounded in dorsal view; ocelli located behind anterior eye angles, each closer to adjacent anterior eye angle than to median line of crown, situated at pair of slight concavities. Pronotum ( Figure 11A ) with width approximately equal to transocular width; with pair of concavities near anterior margin; lateral margins slightly convergent anteriorly; posterior margin slightly concave; dorsopleural carinae complete and oblique. Fore wings ( Figure 11A ) opaque; membrane including all of apical cells, extending forward along costal margin as far as basal half of wing. Hind legs with femoral setal formula 2:1:1; length of first tarsomere greater than combined length of two more distal ones.

Coloration

Ground colour of crown, anterior third of pronotum and mesonotum greenish-yellow, remainder of dorsum dark green ( Figure 11A ). Crown with Y-shaped black macula on median portion, with pair of arches at apices of arms of Y-shaped macula ( Figure 11A ). Pronotum with five black maculae: yellow anterior portion with median transversal one with broadened ends reminding the shape of a bone, and two transversal oval ones on lateral portions; posterior green portion with pair of arched maculae on posterior margin ( Figure 11A ). Mesonotum with pair of black maculae on basal angles, partially concealed under pronotum, and V-shaped macula on median portion ( Figure 11A ). Fore wings with some cells dark brown to black and concolourous stripes on and beside veins ( Figure 11A ). Face with frons greenish-yellow with slight transversal stripes on muscle impressions; remainder of face pale yellow. Lateral lobe of pronotum with black area just below dorsopleural carina; mesosternum black; legs and ventral portion of abdomen pale yellow; tergum of abdomen black.

Male genitalia

Pygofer ( Figure 11B ), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; dorsal margin approximately rectilinear, oblique; posteroventral margin broadly convex; apex acute; numerous macrosetae near apex and along margins; slender process arising from ventral margin and extending posterodorsally as far as apex of pygofer. Subgenital plates ( Figure 11C ) subtriangular, not extending as far posteriorly as apex of pygofer, gradually tapered towards apex; macrosetae uniseriate along outer margin. Styles ( Figure 11D ) slender, without preapical lobe, not extending as far posteriorly as apex of connective, broadly curved ventrally, reminiscent of arches, with strong angular projection. Connective ( Figure 11D ) Y-shaped. Aedeagus ( Figure 11E ), in lateral view, directed posterodorsally, with two dentiform processes on ventral portion: apical and subapical one; dorsoapical portion expanded as hood-like structure. Paraphyses extending below shaft of aedeagus at base; rami strongly curved dorsally, with acute apices, embracing aedeagus.

Female genitalia

Abdominal sternite VII ( Figure 11F ) longer than wide, gradually tapered posteriorly; posterior margin with concavity, slight round prominence inside it. Valvulae II ( Figure 11G ) expanded beyond basal curvature and tapered towards acute apex; ventral margin approximately rectilinear; dorsal margin approximately parallel to ventral margin; preapical prominence distinct; inclined trapezoid teeth on basal and median portions ( Figure 11H ), becoming triangular towards apex ( Figure 11I ); first ones with posterior flat area, which becomes gradually smaller towards apex, where it is absent ( Figure11J ); denticles on all teeth and on apical portion; ventral dentate apical portion greater than dorsal one ( Figure11J ).

Etymology

The species epithet, osteiphera (from Greek: osteos, bone + phero, to bear), refers to the bone shaped macula on pronotum.

Type material

Holotype: male, ‘ ARGENTINA: Tucuman Prov. \ Km 1346 rt 9\ S 26.39477° W 065.30345°\ 788m 20.i.2008 \ D.M. Takiya sweep’ ( DZRJ) . Paratypes: one female, same data as holotype ( DZRJ); one female: ‘ ARGENTINA: Misiones \ Prov . Rt 12 4KmW\ Capiovi 23 .i .2008 \ D. M. Takiya sweep’ ( DZUP); one female: ‘ ARGENTINA: Salta Prov . \ Palomitas, Km 1535 rt. 9\ S 24.89399° W 064.99311°\ 750m 19 .i .2008 \D.M. Takiya sweep’ ( DZUP); one female: ‘ ARGENTINA: Salta Prov .\ Los Nogales, Km 1547 rt. 9\ S 24.80173° W 064.99311°\ 800m 19 .i .2008 \ D.M. Takiya sweep’ ( DZUP).

Comparative notes

The new species externally resembles S. interruptula , as mentioned above. It differs from this by the paired paraphyses, by the male pygofer ( Figure 11B ) with acute apex, by the aedeagus ( Figure 11E ) with two ventral dentiform processes, as in S. subolivacea , and a hood-like structure, as in S. penicula and S. altmanni .

Figures

Figure 11. Scopogonalia osteiphera sp. nov. (A) Dorsal habitus; (B) male pygofer, lateral view; (C) valve and subgenital plates, ventral view; (D) styles and connective, dorsal view; (E) anal tube, aedeagus and paraphyses, lateral view; (F) abdominal sternite VII, ventral view; (G–J) valvula II of ovipositor: (G) lateral view; (H) tooth at median portion; (I) teeth at apical portion; (J) apex. PT, primary tooth; DT, denticle; DM, dorsal margin and VM, ventral margin of dentate apical area. Scale bars: A = 1.0 mm; B–G = 0.5 mm.